Chasing Threads, a Second Chance.

[Donovan Bailey]

The Baxter jig gets good ratings from just about everyone. I have looked high and low for a video demo of the jig without success. I even contacted the Best company to see if they had one and they do not have one. Anybody seen a video of someone using the Baxter?

 

[Donovan Bailey]

There is a ton of thread turning jig experience here. As such, I would sincerely appreciate it if you would share your thread pitch recommendations (e.g., 20, 18, 16, 14, 12, 10, or 8).

 

[GRJensen]

The Baxter jig gets good ratings from just about everyone. I have looked high and low for a video demo of the jig without success. I even contacted the Best company to see if they had one and they do not have one. Anybody seen a video of someone using the Baxter?

Here's a link to Bill Blasic's video on the Baxter Threadmaster

 

[Bill Blasic]

That was my first attempt at making a video. I had written three pages to over dub the video and for the better part of the day I would mess up. Finally just tried talking as the video played. Although I got through it there were lessons learned such as equipment used (needed a good microphone which I hopefully got) and Victor (the man behind the Baxter) saw the Baxter lean forward when I loosened the fast acting auxiliary slide (that was the first time I had ever used a large chuck on the Baxter) which I didn't notice until the third time I tried to move it. That forward lean stopped it from easily sliding into position. Victor got a hold of me and said that he needed my Baxter to fix that forward lean which due to a change in how it was made years ago. He wanted me to send it to him. I was going to the AAW Symposium in Chattanooga so I asked if we could meet somewhere instead of sending it, but instead I asked if I could drop it off as I'm going down that way anyway, which I did. He had it fixed and ready for pickup on Sunday. I got a great tour of his machine shop and now even with the heaviest chuck (like the Nova Titan there is no forward drop on the Baxter when loosening the fast acting auxiliary slide, it is now even better than it was. As stated above I sent my BTM-12.5 to Victor for upgrading to the BTM-12.5X and when it returns I'm going to redo the video. Victor also has a couple new items coming in the near future that I'm excited about.

 

[john lucas]

I use 16 tpi almost all the time. All of my threading "machines" are 16. I do have thread chasers from 13 to 20. I want to buy an 8 or 10 to do larger boxes. I can probably modify my homemade threading jig and may just do that. I'll have to look and see what all thread pitches I can get locally.

 

[Don Wattenhofer]

There is a ton of thread turning jig experience here. As such, I would sincerely appreciate it if you would share your thread pitch recommendations (e.g., 20, 18, 16, 14, 12, 10, or 8).

The thread pitch used should allow enough tolerance the accommodate the problems associated with seasonal expansion and contraction. The most common pitch I use is 10TPIb but I have used 16TPI recently on an urn that I dubbed humming bird size that had a nominal 13/16" - 16 thread.


This all walnut urn was (original photo on film & scanned as .JPG) turned in the mid to late 1990s and due to the figured wood I chose to use 8TPI by about 2 1/4". The lid still works without any binding and the grain match between the lid and the body is still good. There is another advantage of the coarser thread is that it is fewer turns to close and the lid on this one has less then 3 threads.

 

[Donovan Bailey]

Great info, guys. Thank you. Bill, I look forward to your new video. Also, you said that "Victor also has a couple new items coming in the near future that I'm excited about." Are you talking about improvements to the jig?

 

[john lucas]

Well I guess I need to visit Victor. Havent been there in a while.

 

[Bill Blasic]

Great info, guys. Thank you. Bill, I look forward to your new video. Also, you said that "Victor also has a couple new items coming in the near future that I'm excited about." Are you talking about improvements to the jig?

Donovan, no I do not know of anything that could improve the Baxter as it is about as perfect as it can get. When he brings them out I will definitely let you know. I'm excited because they will be things I need or I can use.

 

[john lucas]

I just modified my Baxter. I removed the counter sink screw from the back of the thread rod. I replaced it with a longer screw that has a 9/16" nut captured on it. This allows me to use a short wrench to rotate the screw at a very even consistent rate that gives me very clean threads. I can also use the same wrench to move the cross feed much more rapidly when changing from inside to outside threading. This happens to be the same size wrench needed to lock down the plate that let's you position the threader. So that one wrench now does 3 things for me.

 

[Bill Blasic]

Having the BTM-17 is the reason the change from BTM-12.5 to make it the BTM-12.5X with the Fast Acting Auxiliary Slide (makes it super fast to go from inside thread to outside thread). I can understand why you would use the wrench for going inside thread to outside thread, moving that cross feed by hand is tenuous at best. I don't understand the need for using the wrench to go in and out though as there is zero slop in that screw and there is no movement when you stop turning. when you stop turning you stop cutting (no lag or lean). Since I got my Baxter I have always taken two cuts but I have seen others just take the full .035 (16TPI) in one cut without a problem. And since I only cut 4 complete threads at most going in and out by hand is not of any consequence. In your photo it looks like you are using a router, why not just make a slide for the router. That would not only give you speedy movement but allow you to extend the cutting range on your BTM-12.5. (That is another reason to go from the BTM-12.5 to the BTM-12.5X is the extra 2 inches of cutting range 3"diameter to 5"diameter).

 

[john lucas]

Bill since I use a router instead of a headstock drive the rpm will burn the wood in the threads. Using the wrench gives me a smooth continuous cut without the burn. Yea I could probably put a speed controller on my router but I haven't. The reason I built this rig was so I could do demos using the Baxter jig. I built a bed out of angle iron and the router is locked in one position. I use the wrench on the cross feed simply because it's a lot faster than turning that knob by hand. I will try to visit Vic in the next few weeks and look at what mod's he has made. I also want to by a courser thread while I'm there.

 

[robo hippy]

I really need to get back into turning boxes, in part because I now have a Baxter threading jig. First thing I did was replace the hex nut on the cutter with a butterfly nut and a lock washer. Seemed like a no brainer to me. I will be doing a video on it as well. I do like the waste blocks that are epoxied onto a 1 by 8 tpi locking nut. I do things in batches rather than one at a time. Too many years doing production work. I am trying to figure out if the Bonnie Klein set up with the cutter in a metal piece that threads directly onto the headstock is better than the through bolt and nut set up. Guessing that they are about the same.

I did search for Baxter threading on You Tube and only came up with the Chefware kit and the Hope set up. I guess they do work.

robo hippy

 

[john lucas]

I turned a wooden handwheel to go on a piece of threaded rod to act as a draw bar for the cutter collet. Very fast to install and remove.

 

[Ronald Kanne]

Oh, can't remember his name, but a guy from Holland. He uses that Hope threading jig. He likes to start cutting from the bottom of the cut and work his way to the top. Most of us seem to start at the lip and work our way down to the bottom.... I do need to experiment with hand chasing some time. I have a stash of boxwood that has been drying for about 4 years and it came from my property. I also still have a stash of mountain mahogany which Allen Batty said was the only north American wood that was good for hand chasing threads in. More practice is needed. The softer hardwoods, like big leaf maple, just don't like to take threads, even if I chase them with walnut oil or CA glue.

I did pick up a Baxter threading jig, but have yet to really put it to work.

robo hippy

Maybe you mean me? I am from the Netherlands...
I do both. Hand threading and I use the Hope threading system... When I use the jig i go in both directions, up and down and down and up. But I want the cutter to turn in the opposite direction as the workpiece. When I do hand threading i start outside the workpiece and go in.

 

[robo hippy]

Yup, that was you. Liked your coring set up that your friend built too. Efficient to say the least. I have trouble remembering my own name some days...

robo hippy

 

[Doug Rasmussen]

Something to think about..... when using a threading jig the cuts should be done with a "climb" cut. Imagine you're using a router on the edge of a board, a climb cut would be feeding from the opposite direction that's normally done. A climb cut is difficult to do on the edge of a board because it wants to self feed and get out of control, not so on a threading jig though. A climb cut lessens the tear out issues threading soft woods.

The picture shows a bottle thread I like to use. A little different concept than a 60 degree vee thread. With this type thread there can quite a bit of looseness to accommodate seasonal wood movement. 4 tpi, less than a full turn to open/close. It gives me carpal tunnel syndrome just thinking about the many turns to get a fine threaded lid on/off. These were done on the CNC, they could be done on a threading jig with a little hand clean up, but nobody makes threading jigs with this coarse of a pitch.

 

[Don Wattenhofer]

Something to think about..... when using a threading jig the cuts should be done with a "climb" cut. Imagine you're using a router on the edge of a board, a climb cut would be feeding from the opposite direction that's normally done. A climb cut is difficult to do on the edge of a board because it wants to self feed and get out of control, not so on a threading jig though. A climb cut lessens the tear out issues threading soft woods.

The picture shows a bottle thread I like to use. A little different concept than a 60 degree vee thread. With this type thread there can quite a bit of looseness to accommodate seasonal wood movement. 4 tpi, less than a full turn to open/close. It gives me carpal tunnel syndrome just thinking about the many turns to get a fine threaded lid on/off. These were done on the CNC, they could be done on a threading jig with a little hand clean up, but nobody makes threading jigs with this coarse of a pitch.

View attachment 47725

How about posting a picture of the router bit you used in your CNC?
My 1960's vintage LaBlond lathe will do down to 4 TPI and I am sure that I could do that thread with a bead cutting bit. The other advantage of the machine lathe is the adaptor to mount the wood turning chucks.
The climb cut you mentioned is easily done on the machine lathe by cutting from the backside for the male tread and the near side for the female thread, which is how I have been doing it for many years.

 

[Doug Rasmussen]

Don, this pic shows the CNC cutter path. It cuts with the pieces held vertically. The cutter is a toothed bit shown as green. The lower left corner of the bit (green dot) is programmed to follow the dotted red line. Do this 180 times with a virtual rotation of the part in 2 degree increments. Each 2 degree cutting increment lowers the thread bump .25/180 inch. Very short program hand coded and easily modified for diameter and thread pitch.



If I was going to do this with a threading jig the cutter would look like the one pictured below with the setup same as using a 60 degree bit. Visualize the result and you'll see why some material will have to cleaned away by hand.

 

[Bill Blasic]

My Baxter Treading Jig has varied threads available. I have 8 tpi, 10 tpi, 16 tpi and 24 tpi. If I wanted to pay for it I'll bet Victor (Best Wood Tools) would make me 4 tpi. I recently picked up another Baxter, the BTM-12.5 which does not have the auxiliary slide (if you are used to the auxiliary slide you won't be crazy about the BTM-12.5). So I asked and sent it to Victor and it is now back as the BTM-12.5X (which now has the auxiliary slide and is expanded to do 5" pieces. When I bought the BTM-12.5 I felt pretty sure it would fit one of my 5 different brands of mini or midi lathes. To my surprise it fits every one of those machines, would never have thought that those machines would have the same spacing between the ways. It will now be easier to teach its use others who want to learn how to use it.

 

[Don Wattenhofer]

If I was going to do this with a threading jig the cutter would look like the one pictured below with the setup same as using a 60 degree bit. Visualize the result and you'll see why some material will have to cleaned away by hand.

That is exactly what I figured would be needed to cut the bottle thread and a finer pitch might eliminate the clearing by hand or a custom bit with more length on the flats.
The bit used with the CNC looks like it would do an excellent job on the flats but would need hand sanding for the convex thread. Maybe a slight radius on the corners of the bit would give a cleaner cut on the convex of the thread.

 

[Doug Rasmussen]

the bit used with the CNC looks like it would do an excellent job on the flats but would need hand sanding for the convex thread. Maybe a slight radius on the corners of the bit would give a cleaner cut on the convex of the thread.

Actually, no sanding is needed. The convex thread profile is cut against the grain on the upper portion of the thread and with the grain on lower portion. This pic is roughly 30 times magnification. Other than the open pores of this wood it's smooth with no tearout or fuzz.

It's been argued on this forum a hand turner can have an as-turned surface smoother than a CNC. I don't believe that for a second. It's hardly even a subject worth debating since the CNC can do such a better job. Ornamental turners use the same style cutters to get super smooth surfaces cut with or against the grain.

 

[Doug Rasmussen]

Sorry, posted blurry image. here's a better one.